B-Dawg's Northwestern Wildcats: Navigating the new Big Ten in CFB25

[BDawg35]

2028 SEASON - GAME 10




Northwestern defensive end Braxton Strong sacks Indiana quarterback Tyler Cherry, forcing a fumble that led to a
safety.


Northwestern defensive lineman Izaiah Bush tackles an Indiana lineman for a safety.


Northwestern safety Keke Adams had two interception returns for touchdowns.


The brother also had a sack (who didn’t?).


Northwestern linebacker Matthew Smith sacks Indiana quarterback Tyler Cherry.


Northwestern cornerback Soni Motuapuaka had two interceptions.


Northwestern running back Prince Hoke ran 13 times for 94 yards and two touchdowns.

DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
Northwestern defense wreaks havoc
on Hoosiers with big play after big play

EVANSTON, Ill. — Sometimes you have a sack party and sometimes you have a pick parade.

And, on one of those glorious days when the moon and stars align, you get both.

Splash plays abounded for Northwestern’s defense in a 43-3 pummeling of Indiana on Nov. 11, 2028.

The 11th-ranked Wildcats’ defense produced nine sacks, five interceptions and scored three times.

The first score came off one of those nine sacks. Braxton Strong sacked quarterback Tyler Cherry, forcing a fumble that went into the end zone. A Hoosier lineman scooped up the ball but was tackled for a safety by Izaiah Bush.

Safety Keke Adams had the other defensive scores, returning interceptions 23 and 48 yards for touchdowns in the second half. It’s the 11th time in B-Dawg’s coaching career, which dates to NCAA 2004, that one of his players scored two defensive touchdowns in the same game.

Cornerback Soni Motuapuaka also picked off two passes, while cornerback Jameel Croft had the other interception.

“We made life miserable for their quarterbacks,” B-Dawg said. “They won’t soon forget the day they went up against our defense. I think I actually saw a rare CPU sub situation where they brought in their backup quarterback. He didn’t fare any better. We just put together a season worth of defensive highlights in one beautiful package today.”

Indiana (3-7) actually looked good on its first drive before settling for a field goal. That was it for the Hoosiers’ offense, which managed only 127 total yards. They had minus-40 yards on 15 carries, nine of which were sacks.

Northwestern (8-2) had a solid day running the ball, with Prince Hoke carrying 13 times for 94 yards and two touchdowns and Nazir Kush running 15 times for 91 yards. That, along with the defense, made up for a mediocre 15-for-30 passing day for Ryan Boe.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING
Idrys Cotton 8 pancakes, 0 sacks; Deon Barry 8-0; Cornell Kafka 6-1; Calvin Claybrooks 5-0; Shawn Boyett 5-0; Jaelen Camarda 2-0; Nick Stoddard 2-0; J.C. Cantwell 2-0; Quin Ford 1-0; Dell Choice 1-0; Josh Stephen 1-0.

[RyanLeaf16]

Re: B-Dawg's Northwestern Wildcats: Navigating the new Big Ten in CFB25

Excellent response to the Nebraska game. That said, I'd still be pissed while playing the Indiana game lol - I couldn't let go that Josh Roe TD run. Good on ya for locking-in and taking care of business against the Hoosiers.

[BDawg35]

Re: B-Dawg's Northwestern Wildcats: Navigating the new Big Ten in CFB25

Excellent response to the Nebraska game. That said, I'd still be pissed while playing the Indiana game lol - I couldn't let go that Josh Roe TD run. Good on ya for locking-in and taking care of business against the Hoosiers.

I expect my players to have a 24-hour rule, so I need to abide by it as a coach.

But that play at the Wisconsin 70-yard TD pass last season when I had a certain sack will always eat at me. I just can't let my players detect weakness in me.

[BDawg35]

2028 HEISMAN UPDATE

[BDawg35]

INSANE EMU-WMU GAME



EMU, WMU sim some insane numbers

Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan were apparently playing on freshman mode when they met on Nov. 11, 2028.

The numbers were simply staggering.

Both quarterbacks threw for more than 500 yards and seven touchdowns, with Western Michigan receiver Jared Lamp being the biggest beneficiary of the fireworks show during the Broncos’ 60-54 victory over the Hurons.

Lamp caught 12 passes for 358 yards and six touchdowns, racking up 304 yards of YAC with a long catch of 79 yards.

His quarterback, JD Davis, went 27-for-34 for 551 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception.

On the other side, Eastern Michigan quarterback Jace Stuckey was 35-for-42 for 596 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions. He had three receivers with at least 148 yards: Kurtis Matlock (11 catches, 184 yards, 2 touchdowns), Kenyon Harris (7 catches, 169 yards, 3 touchdowns) and Dalin Wilkins (10 catches, 148 yards, 2 touchdowns).

[bigjdotcom01]

Re: INSANE EMU-WMU GAME

EMU, WMU sim some insane numbers

Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan were apparently playing on freshman mode when they met on Nov. 11, 2028.

The numbers were simply staggering.

Both quarterbacks threw for more than 500 yards and seven touchdowns, with Western Michigan receiver Jared Lamp being the biggest beneficiary of the fireworks show during the Broncos’ 60-54 victory over the Hurons.

Lamp caught 12 passes for 358 yards and six touchdowns, racking up 304 yards of YAC with a long catch of 79 yards.

His quarterback, JD Davis, went 27-for-34 for 551 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception.

On the other side, Eastern Michigan quarterback Jace Stuckey was 35-for-42 for 596 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions. He had three receivers with at least 148 yards: Kurtis Matlock (11 catches, 184 yards, 2 touchdowns), Kenyon Harris (7 catches, 169 yards, 3 touchdowns) and Dalin Wilkins (10 catches, 148 yards, 2 touchdowns).

Holy ****!

Great dynasty, as per usual!

[BDawg35]

Re: INSANE EMU-WMU GAME

Holy ****!

Great dynasty, as per usual!

Thanks! If I had a guy with numbers like that, I would question everything about my sliders.

Great work with dem Rebels!

[BDawg35]

2028 SEASON - GAME 11




The Washington Husky mascot and the actual Husky celebrate the winning touchdown.


Washington’s J.P. Strzelczyk picks off a pass with 26 seconds left in the game.


Northwestern running back Nazir Kush celebrates a touchdown catch.


Northwestern running back Nazir Kush takes off on a 66-yard touchdown run.


Northwestern cornerback Jameel Croft intercepts a pass in the end zone.


Northwestern lineman Izaiah Bush had 2.5 sacks.


Washington receiver Latroy Combs catches an 84-yard touchdown pass on third-and-31.

ON THE BRINK
Northwestern can’t afford another loss
after blowing late lead at Washington

SEATTLE — Well, the playoffs begin now for Northwestern.

The regular-season finale against Illinois next week is now essentially a survive-and-advance game for the defending national champion following a 35-28 loss to Washington on Nov. 18, 2028.

The Wildcats need to beat Illinois to get a shot at playing in the Big Ten Conference championship game. With three losses, winning that game and getting the automatic College Football Playoff bid is Northwestern’s only hope of making the 12-team field.

And beating Illinois still may not guarantee a trip to Indy to play Penn State for the Big Ten title.

Penn State is in, going 8-0 in conference play with one Big Ten game remaining. There’s a logjam for second place that includes Northwestern, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Oregon and Illinois at 6-2. Beating Illinois would bump the Illini from that second-place tie, but then it would come down to how the tie-breakers shake out.

Northwestern dropped from eighth to 18th in the College Football Playoff rankings, so beating Illinois and Penn State is the Wildcats’ only path to the playoff.

How did we get here?

Northwestern was in a position to beat Washington and end the day in sole possession of second place in the Big Ten, but blew a 28-24 lead in the fourth quarter.

A 2-yard run by fourth-string running back Howie Brazzell gave Northwestern the 28-24 lead with 8:40 left in the game.

The Wildcats (8-3) held the Huskies (5-7) to a field goal with 4:33 left in the game, but were unable to kill the clock.

A holding penalty on left tackle Shawn Boyett on a nice first-down run put the Wildcats in a bind. A third-and-12 pass was incomplete, forcing a punt.

Washington took over at its 24-yard line with 2:35 remaining. Washington freshman quarterback Trent Condren scrambled for a first down on third-and-six as the clock hit the two-minute warning (I’m not obligated to call it a “two-minute timeout”).

For the second time this season, the Wildcats lost on a quarterback run late in the game, but Condren’s 5-yard run with 1:08 left came on a read option keeper. In a loss to Nebraska, Joshua Roe scrambled for a 10-yard touchdown with 45 seconds left.

The winning drive was a nine-play, 76-yard march.

The Wildcats threatened to pull this one out when a third-and-10 pass to Carson Grove went 23 yards to the Washington 32 with 37 seconds remaining.

But on the next play, Ryan Boe didn’t see receiver Hayden Eligon open at the 7-yard line, locking in on Quin Ford in the back right corner of the end zone. Roe wasn’t able to lob the ball over free safety J.P. Strzelczyk, who intercepted the pass in the end zone with 26 seconds remaining.

“You can’t just lock in on one guy, but I thought it was a safe pass,” B-Dawg said. “Worst case, I figured it would be incomplete. I need to hit the L1 on that pass.”

Condren is a true freshman quarterback with scrambler tendencies, but had a great day passing by going 20-for-31 for 315 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He had five receivers with catches of 25 yards or longer.

Senior running back Nazir Kush had arguably the best game of his career as he hit the 3,000-yard rushing mark for his four seasons. He ran 26 times for 223 yards and two touchdowns and had a 28-yard touchdown catch.

Nine penalties for 75 yards killed the Wildcats.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING
Calvin Claybrooks 9 pancakes, 0 sacks; Shawn Boyett 8-0; Jaelen Camarda 5-0; Idrys Cotton 3-0; Rishard Vilain 2-0; Cornell Kafka 2-0; Deon Barry 1-0; J.C. Cantwell 1-0; Josh Stephen 1-0; Nick Stoddard 1-0.

[redsox907]

Re: B-Dawg's Northwestern Wildcats: Navigating the new Big Ten in CFB25

As far as JD Davis goes, I can testify he's legit. He never beat me at Ball State, but he went off more than once with a big game.

Tough loss to Washington putting the boys on notice. As far as the tie breakers, everything I've seen has tiebreakers decided by alphabetical order, regardless of head to head matchups, if they are tied with conference record. So as long as you beat Illinois, you're the top dawg in the alphabet race

[RyanLeaf16]

Re: B-Dawg's Northwestern Wildcats: Navigating the new Big Ten in CFB25

Now the only focus has to be on the B1G title. That should net you a spot in the CFP, but gotta get those boys' heads screwed on straight! I'm guessing they're getting more of "IT" thrown at them on campus and might be doing more than studying in the library stacks.

[BDawg35]

Re: B-Dawg's Northwestern Wildcats: Navigating the new Big Ten in CFB25

As far as JD Davis goes, I can testify he's legit. He never beat me at Ball State, but he went off more than once with a big game.

Tough loss to Washington putting the boys on notice. As far as the tie breakers, everything I've seen has tiebreakers decided by alphabetical order, regardless of head to head matchups, if they are tied with conference record. So as long as you beat Illinois, you're the top dawg in the alphabet race

We won the head-to-head against some of the other teams involved in the battle for second, so if we "just win baby" sounds like we're good either way.

Now the only focus has to be on the B1G title. That should net you a spot in the CFP, but gotta get those boys' heads screwed on straight! I'm guessing they're getting more of "IT" thrown at them on campus and might be doing more than studying in the library stacks.

We try to get high academic achievers at Northwestern, but you saw what happened with that program in real life before the 2023 season. Boyz will be boyz and screw up.

[BDawg35]

2028 SEASON - GAME 12




Northwestern safety Keke Adams returns an interception 29 yards for a touchdown seven seconds into the game.


Northwestern safety Keke Adams picks off another pass that he took 23 yards to the house just 3:14 into the game.


Vernon Woodward of Illinois got into the act, picking off a pass and returning it 50 yards for a touchdown 5:00
into the game.


Northwestern cornerback Jameel Croft makes a diving interception.


Forrest Edmond, Northwestern’s backup quarterback, hauls in a 36-yard touchdown pass.


In B-Dawg’s perfect world, fullback Jaelen Camarda would’ve won a Heisman, but this was only his sixth
touchdown in four years on the team.


Northwestern defensive end Braxton Strong gets a sack.


Northwestern linebacker Matthew Smith celebrates a sack.

ON TO INDY!
Adams puts his name in record book,
Wildcats stay alive with rout of Illinois

EVANSTON, Ill. — Who is Keke Adams and why is a player listed as a free safety constantly showing up at outside linebacker in Northwestern’s defense?

Coach B-Dawg can’t figure it out, just as he doesn’t understand many aspects of College Football 25, but he’s glad to have Adams as an extra ball hawk on defense.

For the second time this season, Adams had two pick-sixes to jump-start a 42-14 rout of 16th-ranked Illinois that keeps 18th-ranked Northwestern’s hopes alive for another national championship.

Northwestern finished in a four-way tie for second place in the Big Ten Conference standings, but won the tie-breaker and will face Penn State in Indianapolis for the league title. The Wildcats must win that game to qualify for the College Football Playoff.

Northwestern, Michigan, Wisconsin and Oregon finished 7-2 in the Big Ten. The Wildcats beat Michigan and Wisconsin head-to-head and didn’t face Oregon. Illinois dropped to 6-3, as did Ohio State after a 27-24 loss to Michigan. Oregon beat Michigan State 49-23 and Wisconsin beat Minnesota 41-13, but lost out to Northwestern on the tie-breaker.

“We’re still alive, which is all we asked for going into this game,” B-Dawg said. “The game in Indy will essentially be a play-in game for us, not a glorified exhibition as conference championship games can be in this new era.”

So, the Wildcats are still alive.

Now, back to the incredible Keke Adams.

He picked off a pass on the first play from scrimmage and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown just seven seconds into the game. It is the fastest touchdown to start a game ever for B-Dawg.

But Adams wasn’t done making history.

On Illinois’ fifth play of the game, he picked off another pass and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown just 3:14 into the contest.

He became the first B-Dawg player to have two pick-sixes in a game twice, having done so just two games ago in the second half against Indiana. Only 10 other players have done it even once since B-Dawg began tracking his dynasties in NCAA 2004.

With four defensive touchdowns this season, Adams has tied B-Dawg’s single-season record set by Eastern Michigan’s Corey Everson in the 2007 season of NCAA 2008.

Lastly, he is only the third B-Dawg player to score two defensive touchdowns in the same quarter. Air Force’s Halatoa Tai did so in the second quarter against New Mexico on Nov. 4, 2023 in NCAA 2014 and Vanderbilt’s Jack Barton did it in the third quarter against Missouri on Sept. 23, 2023 in NCAA 2014.

“Keke went all season just doing his business quietly, but he’s been a total freak down the stretch,” B-Dawg said. “He keeps showing up as an outside linebacker when I go to a nickel defense. He’s not even technically a starter. Tito Williams is our starting free safety and Sean Martin is our starting strong safety. Keke Adams is getting it done being on the field for maybe half the snaps.”

For the early part of this game, it was the Keke Adams and Vernon Woodward show. After Adams had his two pick-sixes, Woodward cut the lead to 14-7 with a 50-yard interception return just 5:00 into the game. He then had an interception early in the second quarter.

Things settled down after that, with the Wildcats taking a 28-7 lead by halftime and extending it to 35-7 when backup quarterback Forrest Edmond hauled in a 36-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Boe with 3:11 left in the third quarter.

As was the case against Indiana, the Wildcats’ defense made splash play after splash play. They had 10 sacks and three interceptions, forcing Illinois to bench starter Trey Petty after he started 4-for-18 for 39 yards and three picks. The Wildcats had three straight sacks on Illinois’ second drive in between Adams’ two pick-sixes.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING
Cornell Kafka 7 pancakes, 0 sacks; Shawn Boyett 6-0; Jaelen Camarda 4-0; Idrys Cotton 4-0; Rishard Vilain 2-0; Josh Stephen 2-0; Calvin Claybrooks 2-1; Deon Barry 1-0; Brendan Wicks 1-0.

[BDawg35]

2028 UPDATED PLAYOFF RANKINGS



RANKINGS BEFORE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

1. Penn State, 12-0
2. Duke, 11-1
3. Michigan, 10-2
4. Wisconsin, 9-3
5. Clemson, 9-3
6. Stanford, 10-2
7. Arkansas, 10-2
8. South Carolina, 10-2
9. Pittsburgh, 10-2
10. Oregon, 10-2
11. The U, 9-3
12. Notre Dame, 9-3
13. Tulane, 11-1
14. Northwestern, 9-3
15. Iowa State, 9-3
16. Texas A&M, 9-3
17. Tennessee, 8-4
18. Alabama-Birmingham, 9-3
19. Bowling Green, 9-3
20. Liberty, 89-3
21. Nebraska, 8-4
22. Fresno State, 9-3
23. South Florida, 8-4
24. Massachusetts, 9-3
25. Old Dominion, 9-3

[BDawg35]

2028 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW



Northwestern needs to win Big Ten
title game to secure playoff berth

INDIANAPOLIS — Some conference championship games are more important than others.

For Northwestern, the Big Ten Conference championship game means everything.

For the Wildcats, it’s this simple: Win and make the College Football Playoff. Lose and get ready for some trash bowl game nobody wants to play.

Sitting at No. 14 in the latest CFB rankings, defending-champion Northwestern won’t make the playoff if it loses to top-ranked Penn State on Dec. 9, 2028 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Nittany Lions are sitting pretty at 12-0, already assured of a playoff berth.

Northwestern has already survived one hurdle, beating Illinois in its last game to stay alive in the hunt for a playoff spot.

The Wildcats will be going up against the Heisman Trophy favorite in 90 OVR redshirt sophomore Randy Atogwe. Atogwe is 254-for-359 for 3,352 yards, 39 touchdowns and three interceptions. He’s also run 69 times for 192 yards and a score.

Northwestern coach B-Dawg would kill to have a quarterback with that touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio His starter, fifth-year senior Ryan Boe, has 15 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions.

Penn State didn’t look like a No. 1-ranked team to start the season, pulling out 31-28 victories over lowly Ball State and Syracuse teams. The Nittany Lions got rolling late in the season with two big victories, 45-28 over Ohio State and 49-21 over Oregon. They’ve won four games by three points or less.

Penn State is 90 OVR, 91 on offense and 90 on defense. Northwestern is 84 OVR, 84 on offense and 85 on defense.

Northwestern’s Nazir Kush is the second-leading rusher in the nation with 1,313 yards and eight touchdowns on 257 carries.

[Bigsheen]

Re: B-Dawg's Northwestern Wildcats: Navigating the new Big Ten in CFB25

That's a great answer following a tough loss to Washington. Started out a little rocky but you settled down and took care of business. Being able to have the CPU bench the QB had to have been a good feeling.

Love the Keke Adams story. This game has some odd tendencies like that (showing up the field out of nowhere) but you don't ask questions following four pick sixes haha.